July 30, 2012

This Week in The National Law Journal

DEA, V.A. bought spy software: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is under fire by Congress for monitoring the personal email accounts of agency scientists, but Jenna Greene and Todd Ruger report that government-contract records show that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration purchased spy software from the same company that supplied the FDA's computer monitoring program.

DOJ fights over privacy: A dark chapter in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice will get renewed scrutiny as a dispute over the alleged creation — and swift destruction — of improper records about job candidates' personal lives goes before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Mike Scarcella has the story.

Food industry future: Leigh Jones has a profile of Freeborn & Peters, a 120-attorney firm based in Chicago that's hoping to make a name for itself by catering to the food industry.

Toyota litigation takes a turn: In the legal battle over sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota cars and trucks, a Los Angeles judge decided earlier this month to have a jury hear a consumer action first instead of the wrongful death case. Amanda Bronstad explores what the change will mean for the case moving forward.

From bobbleheads to pasta: The Supreme Court is deep into its summer recess, but that does not mean the work of the court comes to a halt. Tony Mauro has a roundup of some recent court-related developments, large and small.